Gone
by SVUfan18
Summary: Calvin is kidnapped on his way home from school to his grandparents house but no one tells Olivia for over a week. Will it be too late for her to help him by the time she finds out?  Rated T for now, may change to M later.
1. Chapter 1

Olivia jerked back to consciousness at the sound of her phone ringing. She peered at her alarm clock. The red numbers were blurry at first but eventually became clear, 1:14 in the morning. She hadn't been asleep more than an hour. Her phone rang again and Olivia stumbled to grab it off her nightstand. The caller ID read _Unavailable_.

"Benson," Olivia fumbled into the receiver, still groggy.

"Olivia." a terrified voice called into the phone. "Olivia!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was familiar but Olivia couldn't place it. She had been startled out of a nightmare when her phone rang and she was still in a stupor as she tried to place a name or a face with the pleading voice on the other end of the line.

"Calvin!" she concluded, reality finally hitting her.

"Olivia! Help me! Help me please!" Calvin's voice was shaky and his breathing was labored.

"It's ok Calvin. Try to calm down. Where are you? What's going on?" Olivia's thoughts were racing. She was desperately trying to make sense of what was happening. She hadn't seen or talked to Calvin in five months. She thought about him all the time. Her sleep was constantly interrupted with nightmares of the day he had been ripped out of her arms. She could still hear him laughing in her apartment. She could see him everywhere on the streets. She missed Calvin so much it hurt.

"Hey!" came a deep voice on Calvin's end of the phone.

"No! Please don't! Olivia! Please, help me! Olivia! OLIVI..." Calvin was cut off, the line went dead. Olivia sat on the edge of her bed screaming Calvin's name into the receiver. Tears welled up in her eyes. Terror filled her body. She slammed her phone shut. Her thoughts were racing. _What do I do? WHAT DO I DO DAMN IT?_ Olivia's emotions were overwhelming her and she couldn't think straight. She flipped her phone open and quickly punched in seven numbers she knew by heart.

On the third ring Olivia heard the phone click followed by a mumbled _Hello_?

"Thank goodness you're up!" Olivia started. "Calvin just called me. He was scared. He needs me but I don't know where he is. I have to find him. I have to help him. He's out there somewhere all alone and he..."

"Liv. Liv! LIV!" Elliot yelled into the phone. She was talking so fast he couldn't make any sense of what she was saying.

"Elliot, he needs me," Olivia said right before bursting into tears.

Elliot knew Olivia was still having a really hard time after losing Calvin. All he could do was be supportive of her.

"Hang on Liv," he said, pulling his pants on. "I'll be right over." He snapped the phone closed, pulled a T-shirt on, grabbed his car keys and raced out. He had never heard Olivia like this before. He didn't know what was going on. He wasn't sure if it was anything to be alarmed about, but Olivia needed him and he wanted to be there for her, even at 1:30 in the morning.

**

* * *

"It's me Liv," Elliot called out as he knocked on her door before letting himself in. He looked around the room. He could hear Olivia in her bedroom, talking on the phone to someone. There were papers thrown all over her desk and the floor. Her bedding was piled up on the couch. Elliot figured she was still sleeping on the couch. Even though Calvin had been gone for months, she was still saving the bed for him.**

Elliot made his way back to Olivia's bedroom. He entered as she hung up her phone. He watched as she flipped her phone open again, only so she could slam it harder before swearing at it and throwing it as hard as she could onto her bed.

"What's going on Liv?" Elliot asked.

Olivia turned her attention to Elliot. She could see the compassion in his eyes; she could hear how much he cared in his voice. She felt so blessed to have him as a partner and a friend.

"Liv?" Elliot prodded.

"Calvin called me, he was scared. He was begging me to help him, then I heard a guys voice right before the line went dead."

"When, what time?" Elliot asked, obviously concerned.

"1:15 this morning," Olivia answered before continuing, "I called his grandparents to find out what was going on. He's missing Elliot," hot tears streamed down Olivia's face. Her voice was shaky as she continued, "He was taken on his way home from school last Tuesday. He's been gone for 8 days. Nobody even called me. Why didn't they call me?"

Elliot was trying to stay calm and keep his composure. He knew Olivia needed him to be strong for her.

"He needs me El!" Olivia sobbed.

Elliot wasn't sure what to say. What Olivia was saying didn't seem real. He had assumed Olivia had a nightmare or that Calvin had called from his Grandparents house upset about something. He walked over to Olivia, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him as she cried.

"Shh. Shh," he hummed into her hair. "We'll find him Liv. Everything is going to be ok."

Olivia quickly regained her composure, embarrassed that Elliot had seen her break down. She headed out to the living room and began cleaning up the mess of papers. She had destroyed her desk looking for Calvin's grandparent's phone number.

Elliot interrupted her, "Get dressed," he said in a firm voice.

"What? Where are we going?" Olivia asked.

"Newark," Elliot answered. "Let's go find out what happened to Calvin."

Olivia got dressed, packed a small bag and was ready to go.

"What's that?" Elliot asked, referring to the bag in her hand.

"A change of clothes," Olivia said. "I'm not leaving till I find Calvin."

"Newark is only 30 minutes away Liv," Elliot told her.

"It's over an hour in traffic El. You don't have to stay there but I'm not leaving until Calvin is safe."

"If you're staying, I'm staying," Elliot promised her. "Let's run by my house real quick so I can grab a couple things."


	2. Chapter 2

Elliot pulled up in front of Newark Police Department around 3:00 in the morning. He knew there wouldn't be much activity at that time of the morning but was hoping they would be able to get some information. They were given the missing person flyer and the initial report taken by the officer who responded to the kidnapping call. They were told to return at 8:00 if they wanted to talk to the detective who was handling Calvin's case.

"Where do you want to go for 5 hours Liv?" Elliot asked. He was frustrated at the small amount of information they were given, but knew they were lucky to get any.

"Let's go talk to his grandparents," Olivia replied.

"Liv, it's 3:00 in the morning. They're probably asleep."

"Well, we'll wake them up!" Olivia insisted.

"Let's grab some coffee and go over what we have here first," Elliot said, holding up the police report. "That will us the chance to read over their report and maybe Grandpa and Grandma will be awake by then."

"Ok," Olivia agreed to Elliot's compromise.

The two made their way to the nearest McDonalds. It didn't take them very long to go over what little information they were given. They hated waiting around doing nothing. They decided to drive the route Calvin was walking when he was taken. They hoped that would give them a better idea of what had happened.

At 6:00am they couldn't wait any longer, they headed over to Calvin's grandparent's house. They were relieved to find a light on inside the house. Calvin's grandfather answered the door.

"Detective Benson, Detective Stabler, please come in," he said, moving aside so they could enter.

The detectives were surprised at how open the older couple was with them. They had worried Olivia being there could be perceived as a threat and they wouldn't get any cooperation. The couple explained that they just wanted Calvin back safely and they would do anything they could to help.

Calvin's grandparents didn't have much information. They told Elliot and Olivia that he was having a difficult time adjusting. He didn't have any friends and he pretty much kept to himself. Elliot went through Calvin's room while Olivia looked at his artwork. A small smile came across her face when she saw he was still signing his name Calvin Benson.

Shortly after 7:00 Elliot and Olivia left Calvin's house.

"I'm going to call TARU and see if they can trace the location Calvin called from," Olivia told Elliot. "They should be in by now, right?"

"I don't know, Liv. It's still early. You can try, maybe we'll get lucky," Elliot said, trying to be positive.

Olivia was able to get a hold of Morales from the Technical Analysis Response Unit back in New York City. He had come in early to work another case but dropped what he was doing to help Olivia. While they waited to meet with the detective they found a diner and ate breakfast. At 8:00 they were back at Newark PD waiting for the detective.

"Detectives Stabler and Benson?" a voice called out.

"Here!" Olivia replied as she and Elliot got up.

"Detective Harrison," the older man said, extending his arm to shake their hands. "Follow me."

He led them back to his office and briefed them on the case. "Calvin was grabbed on his way home from school. Witnesses saw him being pulled into a red Chevy van; they gave us a partial plate. We don't think it's anyone who knows the boy. We've been checking out registered sex offenders in the area, we've issued an Amber Alert and have a BOLO out on the van. Right now that's all we've got."

"Can we get a copy of your files?" Olivia asked.

"No problem," Harrison responded.

While Detective Harrison was making a copy of his case file Olivia's phone rang.

"It's Morales," she told Elliot as she flipped her phone open. "Morales, did you find him?"

"It took some doing but I was finally able to trace the call back to an address in Elizabeth, New Jersey," Morales told her.

"Elizabeth?" Olivia asked, "What's the address?"

Morales gave Olivia the address. Harrison returned with the copies. Olivia filled in Elliot and Detective Harrison with the new information and the three of them headed for Elizabeth, NJ.

They had the local police meet them at the house Calvin had called from. No one was there but there was a cup of coffee in the kitchen that was still warm, leading the detectives to believe they had just missed them.

Elliot searched the house with Harrison and the local police while Olivia called Morales to find out about Robert Mason, the owner of the house. Elliot found a makeshift cell in the basement. There was a small mattress on the floor, some dried blood spattered around, and a boys T-shirt in the corner. Fear started to build in Elliot. There wasn't very much blood, but he would have preferred there wouldn't be any. He was worried about the shirt in the corner of the room. Kidnapping victims don't usually undress voluntarily. Elliot thought he had a general idea of what had happened in the basement. He dreaded Olivia finding out.

Elliot headed back upstairs to meet Olivia before she wandered down to the basement. She had just hung up with Morales.

"Mason is sex offender. He did a nickel in Sing Sing for rape. His preference is young boys. Calvin's kidnapping fits his M.O. When he's done with his victims, he takes them out to an abandoned area and leaves them to starve to death or freeze to death, whichever comes first."

"Ok, we've got road blocks and checkpoints set up. Calvin's face is all over the newspaper and TV. We..." Elliot was interrupted.

"Detectives, in the garage. I think I've got something," Detective Harrison called out. Elliot and Olivia met Harrison in the garage where he showed them what looked like a pile of black dirt. He held up a work boot which was also covered in the black stuff.

Elliot reached down and squeezed some of it between his fingers before smelling it. "Coal," he said.

"There is a train yard over off Trumbell Street. It's not far from here," one of the local detectives pointed out.

"Let's go," Olivia commanded as they raced out to their cars.

The detectives split up to search the train yard. There were dogs on the way to assist with the search as well as extra cops. It wasn't long before the whole place was swarming with cops. Olivia and Elliot were searching the north end of the train yard. They were quickly sweeping in and under each of the train cars looking for any sign of Calvin.

Elliot peeked his head in one of the cars and saw an arm behind a stack of crates.

"Liv!" he yelled as he hopped into the boxcar. Olivia came running. Elliot found Calvin unconscious. He was wearing a pair of shorts, socks and one tennis shoe. His body was bruised and covered in dried blood. Elliot quickly found his pulse and felt him breathing. "He's alive Liv, get the medic," Elliot said as he scooped the boy up. Olivia ran ahead to get wave down the EMTs. Elliot followed her with Calvin in his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

A small gathering had formed in the ER waiting room. Elliot and Olivia were there with Detective Harrison and Calvin's grandparents when the doctor came out to give them an update on Calvin's condition.

"Hello everyone, I'm Madison Riley, Calvin's doctor," she introduced herself. "Calvin was poisoned. We've administered the antidote, he should start coming out of it soon. He is really lucky you guys found him when you did," she added, nodding at the detectives. "He has a fractured rib and a lot of minor cuts and bruises. He's going to be really sore but he should make a full recovery."

"Thank you Doctor," Elliot said. Olivia hugged Elliot as happiness spread through her body and a sense of a relief overtook her. He could feel her relax in his arms. He was relieved both because Calvin was going to be okay and because Olivia finally seemed to be relaxing a little bit.

Calvin's grandparents went back with Dr. Riley to see him. Calvin woke up crying Olivia's name. His grandparents hugged and kissed all over him, then went out to the waiting room and sent Olivia and Elliot in. As soon as Calvin saw Olivia he tried to get out of bed and go to her.

"No, no Sweet Boy," Olivia said, racing to him. "Don't get up." Olivia wrapped her arms around Calvin and the two sat there holding each other, tears streaming down both of their faces. Elliot sat in the chair in the corner of the room smiling, overwhelmed with happiness for both of them.

Olivia kissed the top of Calvin's head, then pulled back to look at him. "How do you feel?"

"Please take me home Olivia! I want to come home with you," Calvin replied, ignoring Olivia's question.

Olivia sat on the bed next to Calvin. "Let's not talk about that now," she said, trying to avoid the painful topic. As much as she wanted to, she knew she wouldn't be able to take Calvin home with her.

"NO!" Calvin demanded. "Please, Olivia," his anger quickly turned to more tears.

Olivia wiped the tears from his face, as she fought to hold back her own tears. "If I could, I would take you home in a heartbeat," Olivia said as a single tear escaped and traveled down her face, "but it's not that easy Honey."

Calvin hugged Olivia as tight as he could, determined to never let her go.

"Let's just be happy that we are together now. We can worry about the other stuff later. Ok?" Olivia asked him.

"I don't want to go back there Olivia," Calvin said shaking his head. "I hate it."

"Why?" Olivia asked, searching his eyes.

"I.. I just want to come home Olivia," Calvin stuttered. "Please."

"I know," Olivia replied as Calvin's grandparents entered the room, followed by Dr. Riley.

"Detectives, I need to do a rape kit," the doctor informed them. Olivia's heart broke as she heard those words come out of the doctor's mouth. She had been so focused on finding Calvin that she hadn't even considered what had happened to him.

"I'll stay with him," Olivia said quickly.

"Liv," Elliot replied, hoping he didn't have to say anymore.

"It's my job Elliot. I've sat with many victims during their rape kit."

"Liv," Elliot said, his voice a little more firm.

"Ok," Olivia gave in.

"I'll stay with him," Elliot promised. "We'll be just fine, right Calvin?" he asked, squeezing the boy's foot.

"Ok," Calvin said, staring nervously at Olivia.

"It's ok Calvin. I'll be right outside in the waiting room. Elliot will come get me as soon as you're done, ok?" Olivia tried to reassure him. She could see the fear in his eyes and wanted nothing more than to be there with him but she knew because of their relationship it would be more appropriate for Elliot to stay with him. Calvin nodded at her as the room cleared of everyone except Elliot and the trauma nurse.

Elliot pulled his chair over next to Calvin and explained what the doctor was going to do. This was one of the worst parts of his job. He couldn't help but feel like his victims were being raped all over again. Calvin agreed to answer some questions about what happened to try to take his focus off what the nurse was doing. Elliot took his statement while the nurse collected the evidence for the rape kit.

After the nurse was finished with the exam, Elliot returned to the waiting room to send Olivia and Calvin's grandparents back in and give Detective Harrison the report so he could return to Newark as soon as the rape kit was released. Dr. Riley wanted to keep Calvin overnight to keep an eye on him. Calvin was moved from the emergency room to the pediatric wing of the hospital. He had a private room with a nice view of one of the city's parks. The room was a lot cozier than the previous room he had been in.

It was starting to get late in the day and the sun was quickly disappearing below the horizon.

"Are you two staying the night?" Calvin's grandmother asked.

"If that's ok," Olivia answered.

"Yes, that would be just fine," the elderly lady grinned. "I think we're going to head home before it gets too much darker. We can't sleep in these hospital chairs and we want to be rested when Calvin comes home tomorrow."

"No!" Calvin screamed. "I'm not going back there. I'm never going back there!"

"Hey, hey. Calm down Calvin," Elliot said. "Remember what Olivia said earlier? Let's enjoy the time we have together now," Elliot said, winking at Calvin. Calvin folded his arms tightly across his chest, wincing as a sharp pain from his fractured rib shot through his body. Elliot patted Calvin's shoulder as his grandparents said their good-byes and left the room.

"I'm hungry," Calvin said.

"I bet you are," Olivia replied as she moved over to Calvin's bed. "When's the last time you ate?"

"I don't remember," he answered.

"I'll go find the doc and see if I can get us something," Elliot said, exiting the room.

"How are you feeling?" Olivia asked, sitting down next to Calvin on the bed.

"I don't want to go back to Newark, Olivia. Please take me home. We could leave now and no one would have to know," Calvin pleaded.

Olivia hugged Calvin. His pleading broke her heart, she wanted nothing more than to go along with the plan he had just concocted. "Honey, you know I can't do that but I'm going to stay here with you all night. I promise. Ok?"

"Can I stay up all night with you?" Calvin asked.

Olivia laughed, "We'll see. I know you have to be tired." Olivia paused, "I'll tell you what, we'll stay up as long as we can, before we fall asleep. And I promise I will be here when you wake up in the morning," Olivia said as she ruffled his hair with her hand.

"Doc says we can eat whatever we want," Elliot said as he entered the room. He was pleased to see both Olivia and Calvin smiling. "What would you guys like? I'll go get it."

"Pizza!" Calvin called out, "with pepperoni and extra cheese."

"That sounds good," Elliot said, smiling.

"And French fries!" Calvin added, returning Elliot's smile.

"And ice cream," Olivia chimed in. "And pop to drink."

"Ok, is that everything or do you guys want something else?"

"Nope," Calvin said. "Nothing else," Olivia added.

"Hey Elliot," Olivia called out as Elliot was walking out the door. He turned around and looked at her. "Thanks," she said softly, with a big smile on her face.

"Anytime," Elliot smiled back at her before he left to get their dinner.

While Elliot was gone, Olivia and Calvin played a couple games of Connect Four. The nurse had brought in a few board games and some DVDs to keep them entertained. Soon after they were done playing, Elliot returned with dinner and they had a little party in Calvin's hospital room. After they ate dinner they put in a movie. About half way through the movie Calvin gave in and fell asleep. Olivia knew he had to be exhausted after everything he had been through. Olivia tucked him in and gave him a good night kiss on the forehead before turning her attention to Elliot. She knew Elliot had taken Calvin's statement while the nurse was doing the rape kit and she needed answers, no matter how difficult it would be to hear.

"El," Olivia started. Elliot turned his attention from the movie to Olivia. "What happened to him? What did Mason do to him?"

"Liv, I'm not sure that's an image you want in your mind," he replied softly.

"Please El, I need to know," Olivia's voice was firm but gentle. Elliot studies her eyes before deciding to give in to her.

"Let's step into the hall," he said as he led her out of the room with his hand on her back.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: WARNING, there is brief mention of rape in this chapter. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. It makes my day!_

__

_

* * *

_

"Are you sure you want to hear this Olivia?" Elliot asked.

"I _need_ to hear this," Olivia countered.

"Ok," Elliot replied, still hesitant. "Mason molested Calvin pretty bad Liv," Elliot said quietly. "He forced Calvin to perform oral sex on him. He took..." Elliot paused when he saw Olivia's knees shaking. He reached his arm out to Olivia and she grabbed on to him for support.

"You ok Liv?" Elliot asked.

"Mhmm," Olivia moaned, painfully. "Keep going."

"Are you sure?" Elliot asked.

"Please El."

Elliot sighed before continuing. "Mason took photographs of himself, with Calvin. Calvin said something about a scrapbook."

"Did he..." Olivia paused, unable to finish her sentence.

"Yah. He raped him Liv."

Olivia went limp and her body fell to the floor. Elliot dropped to the floor next to her, scooped her into his arms and held her while she sobbed. He ran his fingers through her hair and rocked her gently.

"The nurse got fluids for the rape kit Liv. We're gonna nail this bastard," Elliot whispered. "Calvin is going to need some counseling but he's going to be just fine. He'll get through this. He's a strong kid."

"Ma'am? Are you ok?" a concerned nurse asked as she was doing her rounds.

"We're ok," Elliot answered. "Just got some bad news."

"Ok," the nurse said before she carried on her way.

"I'm sorry El," Olivia whispered weakly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Elliot said, pulling Olivia's head into his chest and holding her tight.

"I didn't mean to make a scene," she sniffed. She felt perfectly comfortable in Elliot's strong embrace but really wanted to get back to Calvin. She knew her time with him was short and she didn't want to miss any of it.

"I need to get back to Calvin," she told Elliot, standing up and adjusting her twisted clothing.

"Ok," Elliot said. "Are you ok?" he asked concerned.

"Yah El, I'll be ok. Thanks."

Olivia returned to Calvin's bedside. She pulled a chair up next to his bed and sat looking at him, remembering all the fun times they shared. She tried not to think about what Robert Mason had done to him, what he had stolen from Calvin.

Elliot laid his hand on Olivia's shoulder, startling her. "It's just me," he whispered.

Olivia reached up and rested her hand on Elliot's.

"Are you tired?" he asked. "You can sit next to me on the couch and rest your head on my shoulder," he offered.

"Thanks El. I want to sit here with Calvin a little longer," she told him.

"Ok," Elliot said, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "I'm going to watch some TV."

Elliot flipped the TV back on and before he knew it an hour had passed. He looked over at Olivia and saw that she had laid her head on the bed next to Calvin and fallen asleep. He went to the nurses station and got a warm blanket and wrapped it around her before lying down on the small couch in the room and falling asleep.

* * *

The nurse came in at 7:00 to check Calvin's vital signs. Olivia woke up when Calvin started to stir.

"Good morning Sunshine," she said to him. "How do you feel today?"

"Sore," Calvin moaned.

"I've got your pain medicine here Sweetie," the nurse told him.

Olivia went into the hall to call Calvin's grandparents while the nurse took his vitals. She offered to drop him off. It wasn't much, but she knew it would give them a little extra time together. Calvin's grandmother agreed, grateful for Olivia's offer.

"Good morning Livvy," Elliot said, sneaking up behind her. "Calvin's asking for you," he smiled at her.

"Thanks El," Olivia smiled back at him. "Is it ok if we take Calvin back to his house when he's released?"

"Of course," Elliot said.

"Thanks," Olivia whispered before heading back into Calvin's room.

Calvin was released from the hospital shortly before 9:00am. The hospital gave him a pair of oversized scrubs to wear since the clothing he came in with was taken into evidence.

"Well Calvin," Elliot said once they got into his car. "I'd give you my change of clothes, but I don't think they would fit you any better than those goofy scrubs. How about we go get you a new outfit and then we can grab some breakfast? Or do you guys want to eat first?"

"I don't want go out in public like this," Calvin said, embarrassed.

"Ok, clothes first," Elliot concluded.

Olivia rode in the backseat with Calvin. She felt kind of silly but she wanted to be as close to him as she could for the small amount of time they had left. She was dreading dropping him off. She didn't want to leave him again.

They went to the clothing store and let Calvin pick out a new outfit. Then they headed to get breakfast. They took their time eating, doing their best to delay the inevitable but the time came for Olivia and Elliot to part with Calvin so they made their way back to Newark, NJ.

Olivia practically had to drag Calvin, kicking and screaming, from the car to his grandparent's house. Elliot ruffled Calvin's hair and did his best to encourage him. Olivia hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head. When it was time for them to go Calvin stormed off to his room.

Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand and squeezed it as they were walking from the house to the car. He was proud of her for not breaking down in front of Calvin. She was strong and he admired that. Olivia let him hold her hand and open the car door for her. They hadn't turned off Calvin's street before her tears began flowing freely.

Elliot slipped his hand behind her neck and lightly massaged it. Neither of them said anything for a while. After they got out of town Elliot spoke.

"You did good Liv," he encouraged her.

Olivia wiped the tears from her face. "I'm really worried about him, El."

"I know," Elliot said, "I am too."

* * *

"Calvin! You come out of there right now!" his Grandfather yelled, pounding on his bedroom door. It had been a month since Calvin had come home from the hospital and his grandparents were having a lot of trouble with him. He wasn't eating, he refused to leave his room, his grades were slipping, he was getting in fights at school at least once a week, if not more. About a week after Olivia and Elliot dropped him off, he ran away from home and the police found him at the train station. He wouldn't hardly talk to anyone, and when he did he would only talk about Olivia and moving back to New York City.

Calvin's school counselor had called a meeting with his grandparents, and after he had tried to catch a train to the city, they didn't leave him home alone anymore.

"I am not putting up with this any longer young man!" his grandfather bellowed, beating on the door again. Calvin finally opened the door and pushed past his grandfather without saying a word.

"Let's go Honey," his grandmother said, trying to be patient with him. They all got in their car and headed for Calvin's school.

Calvin waited outside his counselor's office and listened to his mp3 player while his grandparents talked to his counselor.

"I am very worried about Calvin," the counselor said. "Over the past month he has grown more and more despondent."

"We don't know what to do," Calvin's Grandmother said, worried.

"My concern is all the fighting," his counselor continued. "He has been in 6 fights in the past month. We've been lenient with him because of everything he has been through but there is only so much more we can do. His grades are slipping, he's not doing his homework, and sometimes he skips school altogether."

"What?" his grandfather questioned angrily. "We drop him off here every morning," he added, confused.

"Sometimes he doesn't make it into the building," the counselor said hesitantly. "I've spoken with the principal and he said anymore fights and Calvin will be suspended. And if he doesn't get his grades up we're going to have to hold him back. I'm sorry. I've already spoken with Calvin about this but I wanted to notify you guys as well."

"Thank you," Calvin's grandfather said as he extended his arm to shake the counselor's hand. "We'll take care of this."

"Thank you Counselor," his grandmother added weakly.

Calvin's grandfather grounded Calvin. He took away all of his privileges, which didn't feel like very much considering the only thing Calvin usually did was watch TV or listen to his mp3 player, but he didn't know what else to do.

Two days after the meeting with the Calvin's counselor, he got into another fight at school. His grandparents were called to come pick him up and he was suspended. Calvin's lack of caring about his actions or the consequences was driving his grandfather crazy. He had done everything he knew to do but nothing seemed to be getting through to the boy. His wife's compassion wasn't having any impact, neither were his punishments.

Calvin locked himself in his room when they arrived home.

"I'm really worried about him," his grandmother told his grandfather.

"I don't know what to do with him anymore," his grandfather said, defeated. "Maybe we should call Detective Benson."

"Oh no!" his grandmother said, worried. "I don't want to lose him."

"I'm at the end of my rope with him! It's gone beyond him just being unhappy here. He's been kicked out of school, he might not pass to the next grade in the fall, he has no friends, no privileges and he doesn't seem to care about anything. What are we supposed to do?" his grandfather asked, obviously very frustrated.

"Keep your voice down. I don't want him to hear."

"I don't want to lose him either, but it feels like we already have," his grandfather confessed. "Maybe if Olivia takes him, he'll want to see us sometimes."

Calvin's grandmother started crying softly. "Do you think Olivia will take him again?" she asked, sadly.

"I don't know. All we can do is ask," he concluded, reaching for the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

Olivia had her hands full of groceries when her phone started ringing. She never used a shopping cart because she only bought a handful of items at a time. She laid a few of her things on an open shelf and reached for her phone.

"Benson," she chimed.

"Hello Detective." Olivia was both shocked and worried when she heard Calvin's grandfather's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Is Calvin ok?" she quickly asked in a panic.

"I don't know," his grandfather confessed. "Honestly, I don't think so."

Olivia was relieved that at least he wasn't calling to say Calvin had been kidnapped again or something else along those lines. "What's going on?" she asked, confused about why he had called her.

"Calvin has been kicked out of school Detective," he started. "His grades are slipping, he's getting into fights, he's skipping school, he never comes out of his room, we can't even get him to talk to us. I feel like we're losing him."

"Have you gotten him in to see a counselor?" Olivia asked, still wondering the motive for the phone call.

"Counselors are expensive. We're on a fixed income and Calvin's medical insurance doesn't cover it."

Olivia could feel her blood pressure rising as anger took over her body. She couldn't believe Calvin hadn't been taken to a counselor. She did her best to keep her calm as she kept listening to what the man had to say.

"You're all he talks about Detective Benson. My wife and I were wondering if you would consider taking Calvin again."

Olivia's heart skipped a beat, or maybe it stopped beating altogether. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Was her mind playing cruel tricks on her? Was this a bad joke? A mean game? Was she dreaming?

"What?" she finally managed to choke out.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you. Please don't feel like you have to do it. We just weren't sure if it was something you would be willing to do or not, or even if you would be interested."

_Interested... Interested?_ Olivia thought, _Of course I'm interested!_ She decided to make a bold move.

"Would this be a permanent situation?" she asked.

"It wouldn't have to be," the grandfather stated. "We would be willing to take him back any time for whatever reason."

"Kids need stability, Sir," Olivia pointed out respectfully. "It's not fair to Calvin to keep bouncing him around from home to home and city to city. I would be willing to take him on a more permanent basis," Olivia hinted, praying she hadn't screwed up her opportunity to get Calvin back.

Calvin's grandfather thought for a moment. "We could set this up on a permanent basis, as long as we would still get to see him."

"Of course," Olivia said. "I would never try to cut you out of his life. I just want Calvin to have a place that he knows is his home and he's not going to have to leave. That way he can relax and settle in and feel like he belongs somewhere."

"I agree," his grandfather said. "Can you wait until tomorrow to pick him up? Then we can have one more night with him, if we can get him to come out of his room."

"Tomorrow is fine," Olivia answered. "I'll see you then."

Olivia was so happy she wanted to run up and down the street screaming with joy. She quickly gathered her things off the shelf and paid for them. On her way home, in the back of the taxi she called Elliot.

"Hey Liv," he answered, after reading the caller ID.

"Elliot! Drop whatever you're doing and come over to my place. I'm making you dinner!"

"Uh-oh," Elliot teased. "What's the occasion?"

"I'll tell you when you get here! Just hurry, ok?"

"Ok," Elliot answered, "See you in a few minutes." Elliot flipped his phone closed wondering what Olivia was up to. He hadn't heard her that excited in a long time. He put his shoes on then headed over to her apartment.

"Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed just as excited as she was on the phone. She was waiting for Elliot in front of her apartment building.

Elliot looked at her and smiled, very curious about what was going on with her. "I thought you were making dinner," he said, "what are you doing out here?"

"Waiting for you," Olivia said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ok, you're killing me. What's going on?" he asked.

"Calvin's grandfather called me while I was at the grocery store," she started as they walked to her apartment. "He asked me if I would take Calvin. I told him I would but that Calvin needed some stability. I told him they had to stop moving him around so much. They are going to give me custody of him Elliot!"

"That's great Liv!" Elliot said, joining her excitement. "When do you get him?"

"Tomorrow," Olivia said. "I'm making tacos, by the way. Is that ok?"

"Tacos are great. Can I help you cut up the tomatoes or anything?"

Olivia set out the vegetables for Elliot to start cutting, then began cooking the taco meat.

"Why are they giving Calvin up?" Elliot asked.

Olivia got a little more serious as she answered Elliot's question. "He's not doing well Elliot. He got kicked out of school for fighting, his grades are slipping, and I guess he won't leave his room."

"I see," Elliot said.

"They never took him to see a counselor El."

"Ahhh!" Elliot hummed, "that explains things."

"I know," Olivia said. "I can't believe it," she paused before continuing. "I have a lot of things to do, a lot of decisions to make. I have to get Calvin enrolled in school, find him a counselor, maybe get a bigger apartment with another bedroom. Maybe I'll sign him up for some clubs, you know, so he can make some friends, maybe sports or something. I can take him shopping and get him some nice things, and we can..."

"Whoa, whoa," Elliot stopped her. "I don't want to rain on your parade here but remember what he has been through Liv. This might not be how you've pictured it. Just take it slow. Ok?"

Olivia was slightly offended at Elliot's lack of enthusiasm. "I know," she said defensively.

"I know you know, Liv, and I am so happy for you and Calvin. I really am. You're gonna do great," he said, smiling at her.

"Thanks El," she said, letting her guard down once again.

"You know I'm here for you. Right?" he added.

"Yah, I do. Thank you."

Elliot and Olivia ate their tacos and then talked well into the night. Shortly after midnight Elliot headed home so Olivia could get some sleep before her big day.

* * *

Olivia pulled up in front of Calvin's house at 10:00 in the morning. Calvin was waiting out front for her with his backpack already packed. Olivia took him inside and visited with his grandparents for a short time before taking Calvin back to the city. Olivia helped Calvin unpack, then took him to the store. She let Calvin pick out some art supplies, a couple changes of clothes, and a few other things. On their way home from the store they stopped by Calvin's old school to get him enrolled. Later on in the afternoon, while Calvin was watching TV, Olivia called George Huang to recommend a psychologist for Calvin. Olivia knew how important it was and she wanted him to see the best. Huang made a call to one of his colleagues who agreed to work late and see Calvin the following Monday evening, after his other scheduled appointments.

That evening she took Calvin to Elliot's house. It was Elliot's weekend with his kids and he had invited Olivia and Calvin over to spend the evening with them. Elliot decided to grill hamburgers and hot dogs even though it was still a little chilly outside. After dinner Elliot and Olivia worked together to clean up the kitchen. Kathleen and Maureen disappeared into their room while the rest of the kids took turns playing video games. Calvin quickly became friends with Elliot's children. Both Elliot and Olivia were pleased to see them all getting along so well together.

For dessert Elliot and Olivia helped the kids roast marshmallows on the grill to make s'mores. The Stabler children loved s'mores. They were surprised to learn Calvin had never had one before. Calvin enjoyed the s'mores so much Olivia had to stop him before he got sick. When they were done eating they all sat down and played Pictionary together. After that it was getting pretty late so Olivia and Calvin headed home.

* * *

Calvin started school on Monday and Olivia returned to work. Olivia was relieved when the school day ended and she hadn't received a call from the principal. She took Calvin to his counseling appointment that evening. He was a bit reluctant but didn't put up much of a fight. It didn't hurt that Olivia promised him ice cream when he was done. Calvin seemed to be settling in quite well. He had a healthy appetite and was communicating openly with Olivia. That was already a step up from his behavior at his grandparents house but Olivia knew they weren't out of the woods yet.

Tuesday and Wednesday were equally as uneventful but on Thursday Olivia got the phone call she had feared would come. Calvin had gotten into a fight at school.


	6. Chapter 6

The principal decided to send Calvin home for the remainder of the day but agreed not to suspend him. Elliot and Olivia were making their way back to the precinct when Calvin's school called.

"I was afraid of this," Olivia confessed to Elliot.

"That kid has a lot of anger inside him," Elliot replied.

"He has every right to be angry!" Olivia snapped, getting defensive.

"I agree Liv," Elliot said, trying to calm her down. "Maybe I could help him out."

"Well, you _do_ have anger issues," Olivia teased.

Elliot gave her a crooked smile before continuing. "He can work out with me. You know, lift some weights, hit the punching bag, I can get him in the ring, teach him how to wrestle. Maybe that will give him a positive way to channel some of that anger."

"Really El?" Olivia exclaimed, excited. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Elliot answered.

"I would really appreciate that," Olivia told Elliot as they pulled up in front of the school.

"Hey Kiddo," Elliot said as Calvin got in the car.

"Hi," Calvin said nervously.

Olivia turned around to look at him but he kept his eyes in his lap. "What happened Calvin?"

"I don't know," Calvin's voice cracked and he began fidgeting.

"Well something must have happened, right Buddy?" Olivia asked. "I can't imagine you beating on somebody for no reason."

"It's embarrassing," Calvin whimpered.

"Well it's just Elliot and I Honey," Olivia said, reaching her arm back and patting the side of his leg. "You can tell us."

Calvin slowly lifted his eyes up to look at Olivia and then over at Elliot. "When I... sometimes... it's just..." Calvin let out a frustrated sigh and hung his head again. "The guys in gym class make fun of me sometimes. You know, in the locker room, when we have to change."

"I see," Olivia said. "When is the next time you have gym class? Do you have it tomorrow?"

"No," Calvin said, "I have art class tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll tell you what. You don't worry about gym class right now. I'm going to take care of it. Tomorrow I'll talk to your gym teacher and the principal or whoever I need to and we're going to get this worked out. Ok?"

Calvin nodded his head.

"Calvin," Olivia said, waiting for him to look at her. "You know you can tell me anything, right? And if you don't want to tell me because you're too embarrassed or something, you can always talk to Elliot. Ok?"

Calvin smiled at Olivia before turning and looking out the window. "Olivia," he said, a couple blocks later. "I'm sorry," he confessed, almost sounding as if he was going to cry.

"It's ok Honey. Everything is going to be ok," Olivia said as Elliot parked the car at the precinct. "Let's go inside as say hello to everyone. I've still got some work to do, and I'm guessing you have some homework."

Olivia sat Calvin down at her desk. He listened to his mp3 player and worked on his homework while Olivia and Elliot finished out their work day. Olivia invited Elliot over for dinner that night. They had dinner together a lot since Kathy had left and taken the kids. Olivia really wanted Elliot to be a part of Calvin's life too, especially since he didn't have a good male role model to look up to. Elliot talked to Calvin about working out with him. Calvin was really excited Elliot had asked him. He wanted Elliot to take him that night but it was getting too late so Elliot promised to take him Saturday morning.

Friday went smoothly, with no phone calls from the school. Olivia had a meeting with Calvin's gym teacher and the school principal about Calvin being bullied in the locker room. She decided not to tell them what Calvin had been through only a month earlier. No one deserved to be bullied and she didn't feel it was any of their business at that point.

Elliot picked Calvin up early Saturday morning and took him to the gym at the precinct. After they stretched, he and Calvin lifted weights, then they moved on to the punching bag. Elliot helped Calvin with his rhythm and technique. He taught him how to protect his face and position his body to lessen the impact of the other persons blows. After Calvin was worn out Elliot sent him to the shower. The precinct had separate shower stalls so Elliot thought Calvin would be comfortable showering there.

Elliot got out of the shower and headed to his locker to get dressed. He called Calvin's name but got no response so he headed over to the corner where Calvin's things were. He found Calvin sitting naked on the bench with his clothes folded neatly next to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked Calvin, surprised to find him like that.

"I'm ready," Calvin said quietly. "Please don't hurt me."

"What?" Elliot asked, completely confused.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do to you," Calvin told Elliot.

"What!" Elliot said, completely shocked. He didn't mean to sound angry, or scare Calvin. He handed Calvin the pants that were next to him on the bench. "Let's get you dressed." Elliot pulled Calvin's shirt over his head and helped him get his arms in the sleeves.

Tears had welled up in Calvin's eyes. "I'm sorry," he told Elliot, almost in hysterics. "I thought that's what I was supposed to do. The guys at school told me that's what you're supposed to do. They said that's why guys take showers together." The tears were streaming down Calvin's face. He sat back down on the bench, fully dressed and curled his upper body into a ball.

"Calvin," Elliot asked, very concerned. He knelt down in front of Calvin and tried to look into his eyes. "Did they touch you? Did they make you touch them?"

"They made me do it Elliot!" Calvin screamed through his tears. "I didn't want to! They made me do it!" Calvin started crying so hard he couldn't speak anymore. He was gasping for air between sobs because he could hardly breathe. Elliot sat next to him on the bench and held him. He was completely shocked about what Calvin had just told him. He held Calvin tightly in his arms and let Calvin cry it out while he attempted to process what he had just told him.

Calvin's crying eased and his body began to go limp in Elliot's arms from exhaustion.

"Calvin, have you told Olivia?" Elliot asked him, already knowing the answer.

"No!" Calvin screamed, starting to panic again. "You can't tell her!" he insisted. "She'll find out how bad I am and she won't want me anymore. She'll send me away. I don't want to go away again. Please!" he sobbed.

"Shh. Shh," Elliot patted Calvin's back, trying to calm him down before he hyperventilated and passed out. "Calvin you're _not_ bad. None of this is your fault. Olivia is not going to blame you and she isn't going to send you away. You've gotta believe me" Elliot told him firmly but lovingly. "We're going to have to tell her."

Calvin calmed himself down and was able to stop crying, mainly because his body was too exhausted to cry anymore. Elliot stood him up and helped him put his jacket on.

"Elliot," Calvin said softly as they were walking to Elliot's car. "I'm scared."

"I know," Elliot told him. "Hang in there Bud. We're going to get through this. I'm gonna help you. Olivia will help you. We'll be there for you every step of the way."

"Will you tell Olivia?" he asked nervously.

"Yah. I can do that."

By the time Elliot pulled up in front of Olivia's apartment Calvin was sound asleep. Between working out and the intense emotion he had worn himself out. Elliot decided not to wake him. He carried Calvin up to Olivia's apartment and tucked him into bed.

"What happened?" Olivia whispered. "Why is his face all red? You didn't hurt him, did you?" Olivia poked at Elliot, not overly concerned.

"We need to talk Liv." Elliot said, walking out to the living room.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: You guys might hate me after this chapter. Sorry! I promise it will get better in chapter 8! ... Sorry it took so long to post this. My computer crashed and I just got it back from the repair shop._

* * *

Olivia sat next to Elliot on her couch, staring at him in disbelief as he repeated to her what Calvin had told him.

"What?" she finally managed to choke out. "No!"

Elliot just looked at her, his eyes filled with pain.

"No," she repeated. "No, no, no, no." She began shaking her head violently.

Elliot tried to pull her body into his. Olivia started hitting his chest before collapsing into his embrace.

"I'm sorry Liv," he whispered into her hair.

Olivia did her best to hold herself together. She wasn't sure when Calvin would wake up and she didn't want him to catch her crying. She wanted to be strong for him.

"Will you stay with us today?" Olivia asked.

"I'll stay here as long as you need me to," he answered. Olivia buried her face in Elliot's shoulder. He rested his hand on the back of her head. He looked up to see Calvin standing in front of the couch looking at them. "Hey Buddy," he said gently.

Calvin started chewing on his lower lip. Elliot smiled at Calvin. "Come here," he said, scooting over on the couch. He patted the cushion between him and Olivia. "Sit down."

Calvin sat down on the couch and looked up at Elliot. "Did you tell her?" he whispered.

Elliot shook his head, "Yah. I told her," he said putting his arm around Calvin. "It's ok."

Calvin hung his head, too embarrassed to look at either of them. Olivia knelt down on the floor in front of Calvin to catch his eyes and put her hands on his knees. "I'm not upset with you Calvin. Not one bit. You didn't do anything wrong. Ok? And I'm not going to send you away. Don't even worry about something like that happening."

Calvin wrapped his arms around Olivia's neck and Olivia pulled him into a hug. "What's gonna happen to me Olivia?" he asked, worried.

Olivia sat next to him on the couch and let him rest his head on her shoulder. "Well," she said, "as soon as you're ready, we're going to go down to the precinct and have Detective Munch take your statement. Then, he and his partner are going to arrest the boys who did this to you."

"Will I have to see them?" Calvin asked, starting to fidget.

"It depends. If they make a deal and plead guilty you won't but if they go to court, you'll have to testify. You'll be safe though. We'll be right there with you."

"Can I have some spaghetti before we go?"

"Sure," Olivia laughed. She gave Calvin another hug before heading into the kitchen to make lunch.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia sat with Calvin while he told John Munch about the boys in the locker room. After he gave his statement they decided to take him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Calvin seemed to show a real interest in art and Elliot and Olivia wanted to do something fun with him. When they got home Olivia helped Calvin with his homework while Elliot made dinner.

The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Olivia contemplated keeping Calvin home from school on Monday but he wanted to go and she couldn't think of any reason why he shouldn't. His grades were still poor and Olivia wanted to make sure he graduated to the next grade in the fall so she sent him to school.

Olivia was scheduled to be in court for the better part of the day, leaving Elliot to work at the precinct. Just as he was getting ready to leave on his lunch break his cell phone rang.

"Detective Stabler," he answered.

"Detective Stabler, this is Principal Sweeny at Calvin's school. We can't get a hold of Detective Benson and you're listed as Calvin's emergency contact."

"Yah, she's in court today. What's going on?"

"Calvin is being transported to the hospital via ambulance. We need you to meet us there."

"What!" Elliot yelled into the phone. "What happened?"

"Please just meet us at Mercy General Detective," the principal said in a hurry before hanging up on Elliot.

"Damn it!" Elliot screamed, both furious and worried.

He raced down to the courthouse and grabbed Olivia before heading to the hospital. They arrived in the emergency room in time to see Calvin being wheeled by on the ambulance stretcher. He had a cervical collar on and was strapped to a backboard. Olivia called his name and he called out to her but she was prevented from entering the room they took him in.

Elliot and Olivia quickly found the school principal.

"I'm so sorry Detectives," the principal told them.

"What happened?" Olivia asked, with both fear and anger in her voice.

"We found Calvin on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. I think he was beat up," the principal told them.

"What the hell is going on at that school?" Elliot screamed, slamming his hand into the wall.

"We have 800 students Detective," the principal said, getting defensive. "We are doing the best we can but we have a lot of troubled children."

"That's no excuse," Olivia said, completely disgusted at the situation. She had to walk away before she did something she would regret. She headed down to the nurses station to try to get some information but was directed to the waiting room to wait for the doctor to call her.

Elliot sat down next to Olivia after dismissing the principal.

"I should have never let him go to school today," she said, on the brink of tears. "I was going to keep home."

"Liv, this is not your fault," Elliot said sternly.

"I haven't even had him a month and look at everything that has happened to him," Olivia snapped back. "What good am I if I can't protect him?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"No parent can protect their kids from everything, Liv. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I feel like I've let him down Elliot," Olivia said, hanging her head.

"I bet Calvin feels like he's let you down," Elliot replied, remembering Calvin's fear that Olivia was going to be angry with him and send him away.

"Detective Benson," the doctor called out. Olivia and Elliot hurried over to the doctor.

"Aaron Bartlett, Calvin's doctor," the man said. "I had to put a few stitches in Calvin's head and he has a broken rib but he is..."

"Wait, a broken rib?" Olivia interrupted. "He broke his rib a month ago. Is it the same one or another one?"

"Ok, that makes sense," the doctor said nodding his head. "It's the same rib. A month wouldn't give it enough time to heal completely. When he went down the stairs the fracture opened again."

"Can we see him now?" Elliot asked.

"Yes," the doctor answered, walking them towards the exam room. "He's ready to be discharged. I have a prescription for him, to help with the pain. Just bring him back in 10 days to get the stitches out. I'd keep him home from school for a couple days and let him rest. He is going to be very sore."

"Thank you Doctor," Olivia said.

"Hey Buddy," Elliot said, entering the room.

"How do you feel?" Olivia asked.

"I didn't start the fight, Olivia. I promise. I didn't fight back," Calvin said, panicked.

"I know Sweetheart. It's ok," Olivia said, trying to calm him.

"What happened Calvin?" Elliot asked.

"I, I don't know," Calvin stuttered.

Elliot studied Calvin's body language. He knew Calvin was lying to him, most likely because he was afraid.

"Calvin?" Olivia asked. "Who pushed you down the stairs?"

Calvin shrugged his shoulders and became increasingly nervous.

"We can help you, Son, but you've got to trust us," Elliot told him, patting Calvin's shoulder.

"No!" Calvin yelled, startling both Olivia and Elliot. "If I say anything they'll just beat me up again."

"Who Calvin?" Olivia asked.

Calvin shook his head as tears welled up in his eyes. "Please don't make me tell," he pleaded.

"Calvin, listen to me. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you from Mason, from the boys in the locker room, and from whoever did this to you today. I let you down." Tears started streaming down Calvin's face as Olivia continued. "Please Honey, help me help you. I'm going to transfer you to a different school. You're never going to see any of those kids again."

"You didn't let me down," Calvin cried. "It's my fault, it's all my fault."

"No Baby," Olivia said, hugging him. "None of this is your fault."

"They beat me up because I told," Calvin said.

"Who beat you up?" Elliot asked.

Calvin hesitated before continuing. "The boys from the locker room, it, it was their friends. They, they said I would pay."

"Ok," Elliot said. "It's going to be ok." He ruffled Calvin's hair. "Get dressed Kiddo, let's get out of here," Elliot said as he and Olivia stepped out into the hall.

"I can't believe this is happening," Olivia said once they were out in the hall. "I can't believe how cruel kids are these days."

"Schoolyard brawls have turned into full blown assaults," Elliot added.

Calvin opened the door.

"Where's your shirt?" Elliot asked.

"The paramedics cut it off," Calvin said.

"Here," Elliot said, unbuttoning the top few buttons of his shirt. "You can borrow mine." He pulled his shirt over his head and put it on Calvin. "Good thing I wore a T-shirt under my dress shirt today, huh?"

"Thank you," Calvin said as he buttoned the top few buttons Elliot had undone.

"Do you want me to drop you off at the courthouse?" Elliot asked Olivia once they were in the car.

"No, El, I really just want to stay with Calvin," Olivia told him.

"Do you trust me?" Elliot asked her. Olivia nodded her head. "Let me drop you off at the courthouse. I'll take care of Calvin. That way, you won't have to return to court tomorrow. You can spend the whole day with him. Is that ok with you Calvin?"

"Mhmm," Calvin said, nodding his head.

"Ok. That's probably a good idea," Olivia agreed.

Elliot dropped Olivia off at the courthouse and took Calvin back to the precinct. He sat Calvin at Olivia's desk and let him play games on her computer while he met with Detective Munch and Captain Cragen in Cragen's office.

"These punks are making my job easy," Munch said after Elliot told them what happened to Calvin.

"Take his statement, John. Add it to the file," Cragen ordered. "How's Liv?" he asked, turning his attention to Elliot.

"Frustrated, upset. She blames herself for all of this," Elliot explained.

Cragen nodded his head in understanding. "Let's help her out by putting an end to this situation," he instructed. Munch and Elliot nodded their heads as they exited Cragen's office.

"I think you need to find a new tailor," Munch teased Calvin, trying to lighten the mood. "That shirt looks a little big for you," he smiled at him.

"The people in the ambulance took my shirt," Calvin explained.

"And now you have the misfortune of borrowing that shirt," Munch said, harassing Elliot.

"Hey! What's wrong with that shirt?" Elliot asked, squeezing Calvin's shoulder. "I think it is a fine looking shirt."

Calvin giggled at the two grown men spatting back and forth. Their mission was accomplished, Calvin was smiling again.

Elliot sat with Calvin while he told Munch what happened. After that he took Calvin out for a snack since both of them had missed lunch. Elliot bought two coffees for himself and Olivia and a hot chocolate for Calvin and the two headed to the courthouse to pick up Olivia.


	8. Chapter 8

"Let me cook you guys dinner tonight," Elliot said, once they were all in the car after picking Olivia up from court.

"Can we have spaghetti?" Calvin asked.

"Again? Didn't you just have spaghetti a couple days ago Kiddo?" Elliot asked laughing. He saw Calvin shrug his shoulders in the rear view mirror. "What do you say, Liv?" he asked, turning his attention to Olivia.

"That sounds really nice, El. Thank you," Olivia replied, smiling.

"I have some steaks in the fridge I could cook up. Calvin, are you sure you want spaghetti and not a steak Buddy?" Elliot asked.

"Um, I don't know," Calvin said.

"I'll tell you what, how about you and I grill the steaks together?"

"I don't know how," Calvin told Elliot.

"That's ok, I'll teach you. Every guy should know how to grill," Elliot smiled at him.

"Can I light the fire?" Calvin asked, raising his eyebrows.

Elliot laughed, "It's a gas grill, but I'll let you push the button to light it if you want."

"Ok," Calvin said, then turned his head to look out the window again.

Elliot looked over at Olivia and saw her smiling. He couldn't help but notice how natural this felt to him, Olivia easily could have been his wife and Calvin their son. He wanted so badly to give Olivia a family. The one thing she didn't have but so desperately wanted. He had an overwhelming urge to reach over and grab her hand off her lap, but he was afraid that might ruin everything. His hand moved from his leg over on top of Olivia's hand. He picked her hand up and laid it in the arm rest between them, then rested his hand on top of hers. His brain kept telling him to stop, but his movements were pure instinct and he went with it.

Olivia looked at him with widened eyes. Shivers danced up and down her spine. She wasn't sure what Elliot was doing, she wondered what he was thinking. Fear rose in her stomach. She loved Elliot, he was her best friend. She didn't want to mess that up. She couldn't lose Elliot, she would be devastated. _Who says I am going to lose him_ she asked herself. His hand covering hers felt so right. She glanced back at Calvin, sitting behind Elliot looking out the window. She rolled her hand under Elliot's until their palms met and meshed her fingers with his. She could feel her heart rate speeding up. _What am I doing_ she thought. _What about Calvin? Our jobs? What about..._

"We're here," Elliot announced, interrupting Olivia's thoughts. He squeezed her hand before letting go and exiting the car. Neither of them looked at each other as they entered the house.

"Let's get you a different shirt Calvin," Elliot said. Calvin was still wearing Elliot's dress shirt and Elliot thought a T-shirt would be more comfortable. "I'll grab one of Dickie's," he said, motioning for Calvin to follow him.

"But, what if, I mean, what about Dickie?" Calvin asked, a little worried. "What if he gets mad?"

"Dickie won't mind. I promise," Elliot told him. He dug around in Dickie's dresser and found a shirt. He tossed it to Calvin before joining Olivia in the kitchen. Elliot couldn't help but feel like he was in high school again. His thoughts were racing. Olivia hadn't pulled away when he held her hand. He wasn't sure what to say to her now though. He hoped Calvin hurried back out to ease the awkward moment.

"Do you want me to make some mashed potatoes?" Olivia asked.

"I don't have any potatoes," Elliot told her, a little embarrassed. "I have some mac and cheese," he smiled at her.

"Ok," Olivia said. "Calvin will like that."

"I always keep some on hand for when the kids are here," Elliot told her. He handed Olivia the macaroni and cheese and set a pan on the stove for her to use. When Calvin came out he showed him how to prep the steaks. He helped Calvin grill the steaks while Olivia cooked the macaroni and cheese. They all sat down and ate dinner together. After dinner they decided to watch a movie. Calvin didn't have to go to school the following day so even though it was getting late Olivia let him stay up. They let Calvin pick the movie, he decided on August Rush. Towards the middle of the movie Calvin fell asleep.

"He's asleep," Olivia whispered to Elliot.

"I know," Elliot whispered back, staring deep into her eyes. Olivia's heart started palpating. She wanted to look away but couldn't break eye contact with him. Elliot leaned in towards Olivia slightly. When she didn't back away from him he leaned in further until he was only inches away. "I want to kiss you Olivia," he whispered. Olivia hesitated before tilting her head to the side slightly and slowly closing her eyes. Elliot closed the distance between them. He held the back of her head as they kissed. He pulled away and looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she would let him go further. He leaned back in and kissed her again, prodding her mouth to open for him this time. Olivia obliged and granted him access; Elliot slipped his tongue in and began exploring her mouth.

When they parted for air, Olivia put her hand on Elliot's chest and gently pushed him back. "What are we doing?" she asked him, still whispering.

"I don't know," Elliot whispered back at her, smiling almost from ear to ear. He reached his hand up and gently stroked her cheek.

Olivia took his hand and held it in hers and began playing with his fingers. Her body was screaming _yes_ but her mind was still unsure. She wasn't even sure what to say to Elliot. "What about Calvin? What about our jobs?" she asked.

"Well," Elliot started, "nobody at the precinct needs to know. And Calvin, somehow I just think he'll be ok," he told her before leaning in to kiss her again.

"Not here Elliot," she whispered as she pushed him away again. She looked over at Calvin, curled up in the recliner. Elliot followed her eyes. He got up and carried Calvin into Dickie's room and laid him down on Dickie's bed. He tucked him in before leaving the room and gently closing the door behind him. Olivia was waiting for him outside the door.

"Come on," Elliot grabbed her hand and led her back to his bedroom. As soon as he closed the door Olivia wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He felt her hands moving up his abs and chest to the buttons on his shirt. He held her hands, preventing her from undoing his buttons.

"Liv, are you sure you want to do this," he asked, giving her a chance to change her mind. Olivia didn't answer him with words; she just leaned in and kissed him again. Elliot let go of Olivia's hands and she started working at his buttons again.

* * *

"Liv, wake up, we're gonna be late," Elliot said, rubbing her back.

"What time is it?" she mumbled.

"It's 7:30. We should have enough time to run by your place so you can get ready," Elliot told her.

"Where's Calvin?"

"Watching TV," Elliot said. "He already had a shower and breakfast; he just needs a change of clothes."

"Wow," Olivia said. "You're good at this."

"I've had some practice," Elliot told her, smiling. "Now come on, it's your turn to get up," he said patting her butt. He kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips before pulling the covers off of her.

Elliot drove Olivia and Calvin to their apartment. He watched TV with Calvin while Olivia showered and dressed. When Olivia was ready they all headed down to the precinct together.


	9. Chapter 9

"Good news guys," Munch announced as they entered the precinct.

"What's up?" Elliot asked.

"Those thugs who attacked Calvin in the locker room pleaded guilty."

Olivia put her arm around Calvin and pulled him close to her. "That's great. Any word on the other two who pushed him down the stairs?"

"Nothing yet, they're still trying to work out a deal. I'll let you know."

"Thanks John," Olivia said.

She settled Calvin in at an empty desk close to hers with his mp3 player, some art supplies, a book, and his game boy and then she got to work. She scheduled an appointment to get Calvin registered at his new school for that afternoon. She was busy working on paperwork when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Calvin standing over her.

"What's up Honey?" she asked, smiling at him.

"I'm bored," Calvin told her.

"What would you like to do?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know. Can we leave now?" he asked, hopefully.

"Sorry dude, I've still got work to do," Olivia told him.

"Olivia?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think maybe I can learn to play the guitar? I want to play like that kid on the movie last night."

"I'll have to check into that Calvin, but I think that's something we can do if you're interested," Olivia said, smiling at him.

"Really!" Calvin asked, excited.

"Mhmm," Olivia hummed patting his arm. "Hey, do you want to know a secret?" she asked him. Calvin nodded his head, smiling. "Elliot used to play the guitar too," she whispered to Calvin, knowing Elliot could hear her.

"Really?" Calvin said, moving over to Elliot's side of the desk.

"That was a long time ago Kiddo," Elliot told him. "Dickie plays though. I bet he'd like to have a buddy to jam with."

"Cool!" Calvin said, with a big smile on his face.

"Hey Calvin," John called out. Calvin turned to look at him. John got up and walked over to Calvin. "What are they teaching you in school these days?" he asked. "Tell me what you know about JFK." Calvin smiled shyly at John and shrugged his shoulders. "Well come with me my little friend. I'll educate you," he said, leading Calvin over to his desk.

"Easy on the conspiracy theories, Munch," Olivia called out smiling.

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor. I'm just trying to make sure the kids of his generation are properly informed. Who knows what kind of horse manure the government is shoving down their throats these days."

"Munch, Munch, Munch," Fin said. "Give it a rest man."

Calvin returned to his desk and got his markers out and the detectives got back to work. A little while later, Elliot took his small plush football out of his desk and threw it at Calvin, hitting him in the arm. Calvin jumped and whipped his head in the direction the football had come from. He saw Elliot laughing. He retrieved the football and threw it back at Elliot. The ball missed Elliot and sailed right over his shoulder almost hitting Cragen who had just come out of his office and was walking towards them.

"All right," Cragen said, picking the ball up. "Whose is this?" he asked looking at it. "Elliot?"

"Um, yah, sorry about that Captain, I was just..."

"Save it," Cragen said, interrupting Elliot. He tossed the ball back to Elliot. "Elliot, I need you and Olivia to head down to One Police Plaza sometime today, they have something for us on the subway rapist case. I know Liv has a meeting at Calvin's school, so whenever you get around to it."

"You got it Captain," Elliot replied.

"Munch, Fin, I need you two in Central Park. We just received a report of someone running around in their skivvies. Go check it out please," Cragen ordered.

"On it Captain," Fin said, grabbing his jacket. "Come on partner," he told Munch.

"My day is now complete," Munch said sarcastically.

"You wanna grab some lunch before your meeting at the school?" Elliot asked.

"Sure," Olivia said. "Calvin, are you ready to go?"

Calvin jumped out of his seat and grabbed his jacket. The three grabbed a quick lunch before Elliot dropped Olivia and Calvin off at his soon to be new school. Olivia set it up for Calvin to start school the following Monday. She signed him up for an art class and a music class. She was able to get him out of gym class for the remainder of the year in light of what had happened at Calvin's last school.

When they were done at the school Elliot was waiting for them in the parking lot. He had a coffee for Olivia and a mountain dew for Calvin. They stopped by One PP as Cragen had ordered before returning to the precinct.

Wednesday and Thursday seemed to drag on. Calvin was getting very restless at the office but Olivia didn't want to leave him home alone for too long. She and Elliot had Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off.

"Come spend the weekend with us Liv. You and Calvin. I've got my kids, it'll be great. What do you say?" Elliot asked her.

"I don't want to interrupt your time with your kids El," Olivia told him.

"You won't be interrupting anything Liv! Come on, the kids all get along great. We get along great," Elliot said, gently pinching her cheek.

"Stop it El," Olivia said, smiling and swatting his hand away. "What are the kids going to think?"

"Calvin already knows considering the two of you spent the night earlier this week and you know how much my kids love you. Please Liv," Elliot said smiling at her.

"You're sure?" Olivia asked.

"Positive!" Elliot said confidently.

Olivia agreed, excited that her relationship with Elliot seemed to be taking the next step. She was actually starting to feel like part of a family and she loved it. She was just a little concerned about what would happen if things went awry. On Thursday evening Elliot took her and Calvin by their apartment so they could pack a couple changes of clothes and then whisked them off to his house for a weekend of family fun.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks for the suggestion SVUProductions! Thanks for all your reviews everybody!_


	10. Chapter 10

Olivia woke to the sound of coffee brewing and the smell of pancakes drifting into the bedroom. She considered staying in bed until Elliot came in to wake her but decided to go ahead and get up. She made her way to the kitchen and found Elliot and Calvin cooking together.

"Good morning Sunshine," Elliot said, smiling at her. "Are you ready for some breakfast?" he asked as he poured her a cup of coffee.

"Yes, everything smells delicious," Olivia told them. She took the cup of coffee from Elliot and gave him a quick kiss.

"It is!" Calvin exclaimed.

"Really?" Olivia asked laughing. "Did you already try them?" She walked over to Calvin and kissed the top of his head and then ruffled his hair.

"Of course," Elliot told her. "We had to make sure they were edible," he said, winking at Calvin.

"The kids have a half day today. We need to pick them up at Kathy's around lunch time. I was thinking after that maybe we could grab a couple pizzas and have a picnic in Central Park, enjoy this nice spring day, maybe take the Frisbee and a football, does that sound like fun?"

"That sounds great El," Olivia said, setting the table for breakfast.

"Calvin?" Elliot asked. "Is that cool with you?"

Calvin nodded his head while piling a generous portion of pancakes on his plate. Olivia was pleased to see him eating so well but was a little concerned about how quiet he had been lately. She hoped a weekend with Elliot's kids would get him to open up a little bit. Calvin devoured his food quickly and then headed into the family room and turned on guitar hero, leaving Elliot and Olivia alone in the kitchen.

"I'm worried about him, El," Olivia confided.

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"He's so quiet."

"I think he's doing ok. He's been through a lot Liv. It's gonna take some time. He's adjusting to a new parent, a new school, a whole new routine. He'll be ok," Elliot tried to comfort her.

"Ok," Olivia hesitated "I'm just a little worried he's keeping too much bottled up inside."

"He'll settle in, Liv. Trust me," Elliot said as he took her plate with his and loaded them in the dishwasher. Elliot walked over behind Olivia's chair and rubbed her shoulders. "Try not to worry so much," he whispered to her before arching his head around and kissing her cheek. He put one finger to Olivia's chin and guided her head to face his so he could reach her lips. Olivia opened her mouth to him and he accepted her invitation to share a passionate kiss.

"Off we go," Elliot said as he backed out of the driveway. He adjusted the rear view mirror so he could see Calvin as he started down the street. "Did you grab the football Calvin?" He saw him nod his head in the mirror. He looked over at Olivia who was looking at him and thought about the conversation they had just had earlier that morning.

They picked up Elliot's kids and the pizzas before heading to Central Park. After they ate Maureen, Kathleen and Olivia played with Eli on the playground while Elliot played football with Calvin, Dickie, and Lizzie. Then Lizzie wandered over to the playground and Dickie and Calvin decided to throw the Frisbee back and forth. Elliot and Olivia sat at the picnic table and watched the kids playing and having a good time. They decided to treat the kids and take them to the Central Park Zoo before they piled in the mini-van and headed home.

Elliot stopped at Blockbuster on the way home. He sent Dickie and Calvin in to pick a movie out. He was hoping they would bond. He knew it wouldn't hurt for either of them to have another friend. They two returned with School of Rock and the first Pirates of the Caribbean.

When they got home the kids scattered. Kathleen headed for the computer, Maureen got her homework out, Lizzie played with Olivia and Eli in his room and Dickie turned on guitar hero. Elliot headed to the kitchen to get dinner started. As he was filling a pot with water for the macaroni and cheese Calvin appeared out of nowhere.

"What's up Bud?" Elliot asked cheerfully. Calvin shrugged his shoulders and started chewing on his lower lip. "Are you looking for Liv?" he asked, wondering what was up with Calvin. Calvin shook his head no. Elliot put the pan on the stove and turned the burner on. He walked over to Calvin. "Do you want to talk?" he asked him quietly.

"Daddy!" Lizzie yelled as she skipped into the kitchen.

Elliot took a deep breath and squeezed Calvin's shoulder before turning his attention to his daughter.

"What do you need Babe?" he asked her. Lizzie wrapped her arms around her Dad and hugged him.

"I love you Daddy," she said smiling.

"I love you too Honey," Elliot said hugging her back. He kissed her forehead and smiled at her. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"Anything," she replied.

"Can you go ask Liv to come here please and can you play with Eli for me?"

"Uh-huh," Lizzie hummed as she took off back down the hall.

Elliot dug out two boxes of macaroni and cheese from the cupboard, then got a couple packages of hotdogs out of the refrigerator. Calvin stood in the kitchen as still as a statue, watching.

"What's up El?" Olivia asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Can you finish up dinner, Liv?" Elliot asked. "Calvin and I are going to find somewhere quiet to talk."

"Sure," Olivia said hesitantly. "What's going on? Is everything ok?"

"It's ok Liv," Elliot reassured her. "I promise."

Olivia didn't want to pump Elliot for information in front of Calvin. She trusted him completely but it was difficult for her to just watch as the two of them walked away.

"Grab your jacket Calvin. Let's go out back," Elliot told him as he tossed Calvin his jacket. Calvin stood with a blank expression on his face and watched his jacket fall to the floor in front of him.

"I don't want a jacket," Calvin said quietly. His eyes were wide open and his gaze pierced Elliot's bright blue eyes.

"Ok," Elliot said as he hung the jacket back up. He pulled on his own jacket before leading Calvin out the back door to the patio.

"What's going on Calvin?" Elliot asked him softly. Calvin continued staring into Elliot's eyes, saying nothing, his face expressing very little emotion. Elliot walked Calvin over to the edge of the deck and sat down. He motioned for Calvin to sit next to him. The sun had almost completely set and the breeze was cool against Elliot's face.

"Aren't you cold?" Elliot asked, trying to get Calvin to talk about anything.

Calvin shook his head no. He was quiet for a moment. "It makes me feel alive," Calvin said, barely audible. He had turned his gaze off into the distance.

"What do you mean?" Elliot asked, encouraging him to express his feelings. Elliot wasn't qualified to be Calvin's shrink but he was hoping he knew enough to be able to get through to Calvin a little bit. Calvin shrugged his shoulders again. Elliot turned towards Calvin and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. He kept his voice soft and gentle. "I've met a lot of people who have been through terrible things Calvin. You're holding up better than most adults. I know you're a tough kid, I have no doubt about that, but you can't keep everything bottled up inside you, Son."

Elliot heard Calvin sniff his nose and saw a tear roll down his cheek. He put his arm around Calvin. He could feel how rigid his body was. "I'm here for you Calvin. I want to help you. You can tell me anything. You can talk to Liv, you can talk to your counselor, there are a lot of people who"

"I don't want to talk to anybody else," Calvin said sharply, cutting Elliot off. He began rocking his body back and forth as his anxiety level increased. "I..."

Elliot waited for Calvin to continue. When the silence went too long he asked, "What is it Calvin?"

"I'm so messed up Elliot," Calvin blurted out as tears spilled onto his face. "Nobody wants me. Nobody will ever want me. I don't belong anywhere. I don't fit in anywhere." Calvin stood up and began pacing around the yard. Elliot watched him and listened patiently. "I don't know what I did. I let that man take me and I let those boys do those things to me. Why? Why did I do that? What's wrong with me Elliot?"

"Calvin," Elliot said quietly, "nothing is wrong with you. This isn't your fault."

"Then why did I let it happen?" Calvin yelled, interrupting Elliot again.

"Calvin, come here. Come over here and listen to me for a minute," Elliot said patting the deck next to him. "You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't _let_ this happen. You did everything you were supposed to do, you survived."

Calvin dropped his head into his hands. Elliot could see him shivering so he took off his jacket and wrapped it around Calvin's shoulders. "Your Mom was really sick Calvin. It wasn't that she didn't want you. Some bad stuff happened to her too and she just couldn't deal with it. She loves you." Elliot paused and let Calvin process what he said. "You know what else? Calvin?" Elliot tried to catch his eyes but Calvin wouldn't look at him. "Olivia loves you too. You mean the world to her. And I love you Calvin, I love you like you're my own son. You fit right here with us. With me and Olivia, and Dickie, and Maureen, and Kathleen, and Lizzie, and Eli," Elliot named off each person slowly. "We are all here for you Calvin. We love you and we care," Elliot said as he rubbed Calvin's back. "Ok?"

Calvin finally looked at Elliot with a pained look in his eyes. He slowly nodded his head.

"Ok," Elliot said. "Now go in there and give Olivia a hug! She's worried about you."

Calvin half smiled at Elliot then got up and headed for the door. Elliot followed him. Right before they reached the door Calvin turned around and hugged Elliot. Elliot squeezed Calvin tight and kissed the top of his head.

"Come find me anytime you need to talk," Elliot told him.

Calvin found Olivia in the kitchen and gave her a big hug.

"Are you ok Sweetheart?" Olivia asked him.

"Yes," Calvin answered. Olivia looked up at Elliot and he smiled and nodded his head, motioning that everything was ok.

When Elliot and Calvin finished dinner everybody gathered in the family room and Dickie put in School of Rock. The kids fought over who was going to sit next to Olivia. Calvin sat on one side of her and Kathleen sat on the other side. Lizzie sat by Elliot and rested her head on his shoulder; Eli sat in Elliot's lap. Dickie spread out on the floor and Maureen sat in the recliner.

When the movie was over Elliot put Eli to bed. The kids decided they were going to stay up and watch Pirates of the Caribbean. Elliot and Olivia disappeared into the bedroom.

"What's going on with Calvin?" Olivia asked. She had been waiting all night to talk to Elliot and finally had the opportunity.

"I think he's worried, he's trying to process everything that's happening, he's scared. He's just trying to deal." Elliot relaxed on the bed next to Olivia. Olivia scooted close to Elliot and cuddled up to him. "He blames himself," Elliot told her.

"What'd you tell him?" Olivia asked.

"I told him it wasn't his fault. I told him we're here for him and we love him, at this point I don't think we can tell him that enough. He needs to know he belongs and he's loved."

"I'm worried," Olivia said. "He's got an appointment with his counselor on Monday evening." Olivia laid in Elliot's arms, thinking. Elliot ran his fingers through Olivia's hair.

"Elliot?" Olivia asked. "Why won't Calvin talk to me about any of this stuff?"

"I think part of it is he's afraid you're going to see some form of weakness in him and he doesn't want that. I think he's worried about being unwanted and possibly being sent away again."

"And?" Olivia asked.

"I'm not sure, I kind of wonder if he has questions he's too embarrassed to ask, maybe he's trying to find the courage. Questions about sex and stuff, you know? I wonder if Vivian ever had 'the talk' with him."

"Should I have 'the talk' with him? I don't want to freak him out, but I don't want him to be unaware either," Olivia told Elliot.

Elliot thought for a moment. He held Olivia close to him and kissed her forehead. "Why don't you let me try to talk to him? It may be less awkward for him coming from a guy." Elliot was worried Olivia would get angry or defensive at his suggestion but she was surprisingly calm.

"I don't know what I'm doing Elliot. I've totally screwed up with Calvin," she told him, her voice starting to crack.

"You didn't screw anything up. Come on now, you know that."

"He's so broken and I don't know how to fix him," Olivia said as she began crying softly.

Elliot brushed the tears from Olivia's face. "Liv, you love him and you're doing everything right. You have him in counseling, his grades are starting to improve, he's eating again," Elliot guided Olivia's face towards his so he could look at her, "he's healthy, he's happy. You've gotta give him some time Liv, and you have to give yourself some too. You're both adjusting to this new normal."

"Thanks El," Olivia said softly. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Elliot smiled at Olivia and pulled her into his chest again. "Nothing's wrong with you Liv," he told her. "Being a parent is difficult, you're always worrying, always second guessing yourself. And to complicate things even more, you have a traumatized teenager, but I promise you, you're doing great."

Olivia wrapped her arms around Elliot's chest. "I don't know what I'd ever do without you El."

"I'll always be here for you Liv."

Elliot and Olivia were lying in bed holding onto each other when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Elliot called. He looked towards the door and saw Lizzie standing there.

"Daddy," Lizzie said.

"Yah Babe?"

"We've been talking, and, um, we wanna come live with you."


	11. Chapter 11

_To answer _SVUProductions _question about the kids ages: Maureen and Kathleen are around college age, Dickie and Lizzie older high school, Calvin early high school, and Eli around kindergarten age._

* * *

Elliot was totally shocked at what Lizzie had just told him. He was devastated when Kathy had taken his kids away from him. He couldn't think of anything better than having his kids back under his roof.

"Please Dad?" Lizzie added.

Elliot could hear whispers in the hall outside his door. "The rest of you might as well come in too," he called. Kathleen, Dickie and Calvin made their way into Elliot's bedroom. The kids all squeezed onto the bed with him and Olivia.

"You guys really want to live here with me?" Elliot asked.

"Yah Dad," Dickie said. "We miss you. We know you can't be home all the time but..."

"Maureen and I will take turns picking Eli up from the bus stop and we'll watch him till you get home," Kathleen interrupted.

"I'll help too," Dickie added, "and Calvin can come home from school with us till you guys get off work."

"I can cook dinner," Maureen said as she entered the room, "and I'll help Eli with his homework."

"You guys have this all figured out, don't you?" Elliot asked them smiling. "What did your mother say?" The kids looked around the room at each other but none of them said anything. "Guys?"

"We didn't ask her Daddy," Kathleen said.

"We didn't want her to flip out on us," Dickie told him.

"So you're just gonna let her freak out on me?" Elliot teased.

"She can't punish you," Dickie said.

"I don't know about that," Elliot said under his breath. "I'll talk to your mother and see what I can work out. Now, go finish your movie," Elliot said smiling.

* * *

Elliot woke up shortly after midnight and realized the kids were still up. He went out to the living room and found Maureen on the computer and Dickie and Calvin playing guitar hero.

"Alright, bed time guys. Let's go."

"Do we have to Dad?" Dickie asked. "It's Friday night."

"Actually, it's Saturday morning now, so yes, you have to," Elliot said patting Dickie's shoulder.

"Good night Daddy," Maureen said as she walked past him to her room.

"Elliot?" Calvin asked. "Is still Olivia awake?"

"She's sleeping Buddy, what do you need?"

"I don't know," Calvin said shrugging his shoulders. "I just wondered if she would tuck me in."

"Hmm," Elliot hummed. "Let me go check and see." He knew Olivia was sleeping but he figured he would wake her up. He knew she would be thrilled that Calvin had asked for her.

Elliot kissed Olivia's forehead before whispering her name softly. "Liv, Calvin wants you to tuck him in."

"He does?" Olivia moaned, still groggy.

"Yep. He asked for you," Elliot said as he pulled the covers off of her. Olivia got up and made her way into Dickie's room.

"You're awake!" Calvin said.

"Yes I am," Olivia said as she sat down next to him on the bed. "It's time for you to go to sleep."

"Ok," Calvin said in the middle of a yawn.

Olivia tucked Calvin in and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you Calvin," she whispered. "Good night sweet boy."

"Good night," Calvin mumbled back, already beginning to drift off to sleep.

Olivia headed back into Elliot's room smiling. She figured Elliot had fallen back asleep so she quietly slipped back under the covers, trying not to disturb him.

* * *

"What do you want to do today Liv?" Elliot asked yawning. He could hear the Saturday morning cartoons on in the other room, entertaining Eli. He handed Olivia a carton of eggs and an assortment of breakfast meats from the refrigerator.

"I don't know," Olivia said. "Too bad it's not warmer; we could take the kids to the beach." Olivia got the waffle maker out and set it on the counter.

"Can I make the waffles?" Kathleen asked as she entered the kitchen.

"That would be a big help," Olivia told her. She handed Kathleen the bowl of batter she had just mixed up. Olivia set the table and cut up some fruit while Kathleen made the waffles and Elliot scrambled the eggs and cooked the meat.

"The bowling alley is doing a Rock 'n' Bowl tonight Daddy," Kathleen said.

"Rock 'n' Bowl?" Elliot asked, looking at her.

"Yah, it's for teenagers, they turn the lights out and put the music on really loud while you bowl."

"If they turn the lights out how can you see to bowl?" Elliot teased.

"They have black lights and strobe lights and a disco ball and stuff," Kathleen told him in a tone implying he should have already known.

"I see. How much does it cost?"

"It costs $10 a person. You get two slices of pizza and a pop, bowling shoes and you can bowl as many games as you want. It starts at 6:00 and ends at 10:00."

Elliot looked at Olivia. She shrugged her shoulders at him and he knew by the look on her face that she wouldn't mind if he said they could go. He thought for a moment before agreeing.

Lizzie and Eli made their way into the kitchen as they were putting the food on the table.

"Who's missing?" Elliot asked as he looked around. "Maureen, Dickie, and Calvin, our three little night owls. I'll be right back," he said as he took off down the hall. He returned with the three missing children and they all sat down to breakfast together.

"I want you guys to clean your rooms after breakfast," Elliot instructed. There was a chorus of disapproving moans around the table. "If you guys want to rock... and bowl... tonight, I want clean bedrooms," Elliot said, trying to make a joke. "Calvin, can you help clean up the kitchen?"

"Uh-huh," Calvin said, nodding his head. Elliot was pleased at Calvin's willingness to help. He knew some structure would be good for him and that even something as unpleasant as a little housekeeping would help Calvin feel like he fit in.

After the chores were finished the kids lounged around the house while Elliot, Olivia and Eli went grocery shopping. When they got home it was almost time for the kids to go bowling.

"Dickie, can I speak to you for a minute please," Elliot asked. He took Dickie back to his bedroom.

"What's wrong Dad?" Dickie asked.

"Nothing's wrong Son," Elliot said, resting his hand on the back of his son's neck. "I just need you to do something for me. I want you to watch out for Calvin tonight, I mean really keep your eye on him."

Dickie looked at his father with a confused look on his face. "Why? What do you think he's gonna do?"

"He's not going to do anything; he's just had some problems with bullies and I want to make sure nothing happens to him. Ok? Can you do that for me?"

"Sure Dad. I'll watch his back."

"Great, call me if you guys have any trouble," Elliot told him. He patted his arm before they went back out to the family room.

"Are you guys ready?" Elliot asked.

"Calvin, put your coat on please," Olivia said.

"But I'm not cold," Calvin objected.

"Humor me," Olivia said, handing him his jacket and smiling at him. Calvin smiled back as he took the jacket.

"Have fun guys," Elliot said as he followed the kids out the door. "Call me if you need anything. Maureen, drive safe. Buckle up everybody." Elliot called from the porch. He knew it drove his kids crazy when he reminded them to be safe but he didn't care. He would be devastated if anything happened to any one of them.

"Are they gonna be ok?" Olivia asked as she threw her arms over Elliot's shoulders and leaned against his back. She wasn't used to letting Calvin go off without her, except to school and she was a bit worried.

"They'll be fine," Elliot reassured her. He arched his head around and kissed her cheek. "Dickie's going to watch out for Calvin." He knew Olivia was worried, he was a little worried too but he didn't want Olivia to know that. "What do you say we put Eli to bed early tonight?" he asked in a deep, quiet tone.

Olivia chuckled and started kissing up and down Elliot's neck. "That sounds like it could be fun."

Elliot could feel his pants getting tighter as Olivia's hot breath warmed his neck and her soft kisses danced up and down his sensitive skin. He let out a low moan. "Liv," he whispered. "Not yet, Eli won't go to bed this early." Olivia nuzzled his neck before pulling away.

Elliot and Olivia ate dinner with Eli then put a movie in for him. They poked at each other playfully throughout the movie, being careful not to let Eli catch them. Elliot put Eli to bed at 8:00. He rubbed his back until he was sure he was asleep then hurried down the hall to his bedroom where Olivia was waiting for him.


	12. Chapter 12

"What time do you have to take the kids back to Kathy's?" Olivia asked as she drew circles on Elliot's bare chest with her finger. They had been up for awake for a little while but were still laying in bed cuddling. With the exception of Eli the kids were all still asleep after their late evening of bowling.

"Kathy gets upset if I don't have them home by dinner," Elliot answered. He ran his hands up and down Olivia's back as she rested her head on his chest. "I'm thinking about taking Dickie and Calvin to the gym this morning."

"That sounds like fun, maybe I'll take Eli and the girls window shopping."

"I can take Eli. He can play at the gym, he won't be much fun trying to window shop with," Elliot said smiling at her.

"I don't mind either way El."

"Maybe we can meet up somewhere for lunch. I'll call you when we're done at the gym."

"Daddy," Eli said from the doorway. "I'm hungry."

"Hungry?" Elliot teased. "I don't think we have any food left."

"What?" Eli asked, walking over beside the bed.

"Yah," Elliot said, lifting him onto the bed. "I think Dickie got really hungry last night and now the food is all gone."

"But what am I gonna eat?" Eli asked, getting really worried.

"I'm just kidding, Eli. We have lots of food," Elliot said smiling at him. "I'll be out in a minute to make you a bowl of cereal."

"Ok Daddy," Eli said. Elliot stood him up so he could hop off the bed. Eli started jumping on the bed between them instead.

"I guess it's time to get up," Olivia said laughing.

"Guess so," Elliot said smiling.

They got up, got dressed and got the kids up. After they ate breakfast Olivia took the girls window shopping and Elliot took the boys to the gym. Olivia picked up subs for lunch and they met in Central Park to eat. They played board games all afternoon until it was time for Elliot's kids to return to their mother's house.

"Liv, I'm going to try to talk to Kathy about the kids moving in with me," Elliot said while the kids were getting into the van. "If I'm not back soon, you might want to call in a search party," he said winking at her.

"See you when you get back," Olivia said, smiling at him. She gave him a kiss before he headed out to his van.

"Will you play guitar hero with me Olivia? Please?" Calvin asked.

"Sure Honey, you'll just have to show me how," Olivia told him.

"It's easy!" Calvin said. "You just push the button that's the same color as the one on the screen." He was almost jumping up and down out of excitement. Calvin hooked up the game and handed Olivia her guitar controller.

"Do you want to be bass or guitar?" he asked.

"Um, I don't know," Olivia said, completely confused. "What's the difference?"

"You can be the bass player, they only have four strings. I'll be the guitar player, they have six strings," Calvin said, talking really fast.

"Works for me," Olivia said, trying to keep up with Calvin. "You're really into this, aren't you?"

"Uh-huh, this game rocks," Calvin said as he flipped through the songs until he found one he liked. "I can't wait till I can learn to play the guitar for real," he paused. "Can I still take lessons?" he asked quietly.

"Of course Sweetheart," Olivia told him. "Hey, maybe Dickie can help you pick out a guitar."

"Really?" Calvin said. "I get my own guitar?"

"Of course," Olivia said. "How else are you going to practice?" she asked.

"Thank you Olivia!" Calvin said. He stopped playing the game and gave her a big hug. Olivia hadn't seen Calvin that happy in a long time. She was thrilled that he was doing better.

Olivia played guitar hero with Calvin until Elliot returned home from dropping the kids off.

"Hey, whatcha guys doing?" Elliot asked as he walked into the family room.

"Nothing much," Olivia said. "Calvin here is kicking my butt at this game."

Elliot laughed. "I've played a few times with Dickie. It's kind of tricky."

"What are you talking about? You used to play guitar," Olivia said, smiling at him.

"That was a long time ago, and believe it or not the video game is different than the real thing," Elliot told Olivia playfully.

"How are you?" Olivia asked. She didn't want to specifically ask him about his conversation with Kathy in front of Calvin but she knew Elliot would know what she meant.

"Great," Elliot said. Olivia could tell he was truly happy and figured their chat went well. "What do you guys want for dinner tonight?"

"You don't have to make us dinner El. We should probably be heading home," Olivia told him.

"No. Stay, please," Elliot pleaded.

"Are you sure El? We've been here all weekend."

"Yah, and it's been really great having you guys here. Please, stay another night. I insist."

Olivia looked over at Calvin who was totally engrossed in his video game. She shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?" she said, smiling at Elliot.

"Thanks," Elliot said, returning her smile. "Dinner, what would you guys like?"

"Spaghetti!" Calvin called out.

Elliot put his face in his hands laughing. "I'm going to take out stock in spaghetti," he teased, squeezing Calvin's shoulders.

"How about Chinese?" Olivia said, "I'm buying."

"Ok," Elliot said. "That sounds good. Calvin, do you want Chinese instead of spaghetti?"

"No, I don't like Chinese," Calvin said, making a face.

"Do you want me to stop and get you something else Honey?" Olivia asked.

"I think I just want spaghetti," Calvin said, turning his game off.

"I can make him some spaghetti, that's not a problem," Elliot said.

"Ok, I'll go pick up some Chinese," Olivia said.

They ate dinner while lounging in front of the TV. They relaxed at home all evening. At 9:00 Olivia sent Calvin.

"I don't want to go to bed Olivia," Calvin protested.

"You've got school tomorrow Babe. I want you to get a good nights rest," Olivia told him

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow," Calvin said softly.

"Why not?" Olivia asked.

Calvin shrugged his shoulders. "I can be homeschooled!" he said. "You won't even have to do anything, I'll teach myself."

"It doesn't work like that Calvin. I'm sorry but you have to go to school tomorrow. I know you're nervous and that's ok, just know that I'll be there for you if you need me. Everything will be ok." Olivia smiled at him as he stood to his feet. "Go put your pajamas on and I'll come tuck you in."

"Good night Calvin," Elliot said. "Love you Buddy."

"Good night Elliot."

Olivia went in and tucked Calvin in after he changed into his pajamas. "Sweet dreams Calvin," she said.

"Olivia," Calvin said. "I really like it here." He smiled up at her.

She kissed him on the forehead. "I'm glad," she said. "I love you."

Olivia made her way back to the living room to find Elliot had poured two glasses of wine. "What's the occasion?" she asked.

"Does there have to be an occasion for me to enjoy some wine with my best friend," Elliot asked. He leaned over and kissed Olivia then handed her a glass.

"What did Kathy say?"

"I'm getting my kids back," Elliot said smiling from ear to ear.

"Really?" Olivia asked, excited for him.

"Mm-hmm," Elliot hummed. He held his glass up, "To kids," he said.

"To kids," Olivia repeated as she clinked her glass against his.

"I'm really surprised," she said after she took a drink. "How did you get her to agree to that?"

"Well, she knows the kids are old enough that the court will let them make their own decision. She doesn't want them to resent her and this is what they want. We're trying not to let our problems rub off on the kids. We're going to reverse how it is now—the kids are going to live with me and visit her every other weekend."

"That's great Elliot! I'm really happy for you and the kids." Olivia laid back against Elliot's chest as they sipped their wine.

"Liv," Elliot said hesitantly. "I want to ask you something, just, promise me you won't freak out."

"What is it?" Olivia asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

Elliot hesitated, trying to work up the courage to ask her. He could feel her eyes burning a hole into the side of his head. "Move in with me," he finally babbled out. He could feel his face start to flush; it definitely wasn't the smoothest move he had ever made. His nerves had definitely taken over at that point.

Olivia sat speechless while trying to process what Elliot had just said. Her mouth was moving but no words were coming out. She had no idea how to respond to Elliot.

"Liv?" Elliot asked gently.

"Yah. I'm here. I'm just... wow, Elliot. I don't know what to say," she finally managed to spit out.

"Say yes," Elliot said, looking into her eyes.

"Slow down Romeo," she said putting her hands up. "This is a huge decision Elliot. It's not just you and me anymore. You're kids are coming to live with you again and I've got Calvin to think about. I need time to think."

"It would be good for the kids," Elliot started. "They got along great this weekend. Calvin would have stability, you wouldn't have to sleep on your couch anymore, my kids adore you. This weekend felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was so perfect. Besides... I, I love you Liv."

Everything Elliot said made sense to Olivia. She knew in a perfect world everything would work out but she also knew she didn't live in a perfect world. There was so much to lose if things went bad and that would be devastating to her. She reached over and grabbed Elliot's hand. "I love you too El," she said. She was surprised at how easily those three little words came out. "I just really need some time to think about this."

"Ok," Elliot said, squeezing her hand.

"I think I'm going to go soak in the tub," Olivia told Elliot.

"Are you ok?"

"Yah, I'm fine. Really Elliot. Everything's ok," she said. She kissed him before heading down the hall toward the bathroom.

Elliot flipped on the TV and began channel surfing. He stopped on ESPN. Not too long after Olivia had left to take a bath Calvin appeared.

"I thought you were in bed," Elliot said.

"Can't sleep," Calvin said, standing in front of Elliot.

Elliot patted the couch next to him and Calvin flopped down beside him.

"Nervous about starting a new school tomorrow?" Elliot asked.

"I don't know," Calvin said shrugging his shoulders.

"That's ok," Elliot said. "Everything's going to work out." He put his arm around Calvin and Calvin rested his head on Elliot's shoulder. Elliot rubbed his back while they watched SportsCenter.

After Olivia got out of the bathtub she made her way back into the family room. She found Elliot and Calvin cuddled up together sleeping on the couch. She smiled before taking the remote off Elliot's leg and turning the TV off. Elliot jumped when the TV went off.

"Liv," he said. Olivia smiled at him. Elliot looked down and saw Calvin sleeping on his chest. Calvin grumbled when Elliot picked him to carry him to his bed. He tucked Calvin in then took Olivia's hand and led her back to his bedroom.


	13. Chapter 13

"Elliot," Olivia whispered. "Elliot," she shook his shoulder.

"What?" Elliot moaned, still mostly asleep.

"Elliot, wake up," Olivia's whispers were getting more desperate.

"I'm awake," he whispered back.

Olivia reached over and turned the light on the nightstand on. Elliot closed his eyes tight and covered them with his hands. "Turn it off, please Liv. What time is it? What's going on?"

Satisfied that Elliot was awake enough to pay attention she turned the light back off and propped her head up on Elliot's chest. "El, I want to adopt Calvin, legally."

"What time is it?" Elliot repeated.

"It's 1:15," Olivia said sighing. "I'm sorry Elliot. I can't sleep. I'm trying to figure out how I can help him best. If I adopted him then he couldn't be taken away from me, he would know I wanted him and that I'm not going to send him away. Does that make sense?"

Elliot rubbed Olivia's back. "Yah, I know what you're saying," he told her. "But is that even possible?"

"His mom is a junkie and his dad is in jail. I don't see why not."

"True," Elliot paused. "I think you should go for it, just be prepared if things don't work out like you hope," he told her. He ran the back of his hand down Olivia's face.

"I know," Olivia said, taking a deep breath. "Thanks El."

Elliot brought her hand to his lips and kissed her. "I'll always be here for you," he whispered.

She pressed her body against his and tried to go to sleep.

* * *

Calvin's first week at his new school seemed to go well. He was a little behind in his school work compared to the other students but he made a couple friends and didn't get into any fights. Olivia was pleased when an entire week passed and she didn't receive any calls from his school. She was even more pleased that Calvin seemed to be happy at this school and was starting to fit in.

Elliot's children moved in with him that weekend. Olivia had avoided the subject of her and Calvin moving in. She knew Elliot would bring it up eventually but she wasn't quite ready to talk about it yet.

After Elliot's kids moved in Calvin started taking the bus to his house after school. He had a blast being with the Stabler children. There was always something exciting going on. Dickie loved having another guy around. His sisters knew how to get on his nerves, but he and Calvin tormented them right back. Olivia was more at ease knowing Calvin had somewhere to hang out after school.

Elliot was pleased at how everything was working out. He was happy to have Calvin over to his house each day. He knew he would be safe and happy there. After Kathy had left with his kids he had spent a lot of time alone in his empty house and although the quiet time was nice sometimes, he missed all the life and activity of having his family there. He didn't want Calvin to go through the same thing.

* * *

Elliot and Olivia were heading out to lunch on Thursday. They had just closed the case they were working on and looking forward to the start of their three day weekend as soon as they finished up the rest of their paperwork that afternoon.

"El, do you want to come over tomorrow... maybe we can talk," Olivia said. She struggled to get that sentence out but was proud of herself for actually managing to do it. She was finally ready to talk to Elliot about moving in with him. She was nervous as hell. Her previous relationships had almost always ended in disaster; she couldn't let that happen to her and Elliot.

"I'd love to," Elliot said. He guessed Olivia was ready to talk about moving in with him. He had been patient with her and given her space and time to think. He said a quick prayer hoping she would give it a chance. He had faith they could make it work but he knew Olivia would be a little bit less optimistic about it. He wondered if the reason Olivia's relationships never worked out was because she was meant to be with him. The sound of her phone ringing interrupted his thoughts.

"Benson," she chimed.

"Detective Benson, this is Mrs. Walker, Calvin's guidance counselor."

_Crap,_ Olivia thought _do I even want to know what happened?_

"Is everything ok?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, yes, everything is fine. I'm just calling to talk to you about Calvin's school work. He's a little behind in school, which is completely understandable since he switched schools, but I'm afraid instead of paying attention and applying himself to his work he has decided to take on the role of class clown."

"Oh no," Olivia said even though she was relieved nothing had happened to him and that he hadn't gotten into any fights.

"He might need some extra help with homework until he can catch up with the other kids. His teachers are going to write his assignments in his day planner to help him remember."

"Wait, not paying attention, and not remembering, are you saying he has ADHD?" Olivia asked.

"No Detective, I don't think that's the case with Calvin. I think he's just trying to hide behind jokes and humor so the other children don't look down on him. With a little extra help I think he can get caught up in no time."

"Thank you Mrs. Walker. I'll have a talk with him."

"Thank you Detective."

"Calvin has decided to be the class clown," Olivia told Elliot after she hung up the phone. Elliot tried to control himself but he laughed. "Hey!" Olivia said, poking at Elliot's arm. "You will not encourage him."

"I'm sorry Liv. What's going on?" Elliot said, trying to get serious again.

"He's a little behind after switching schools and missing so many days. His school counselor said instead of applying himself to his work he's goofing off."

"Better than getting into fights," Elliot said as he pulled up in front of their favorite little diner.

"That's true. His teachers are going to write in his day planner so I know what we need to work on at home to get him caught up."

"He'll get caught up," Elliot reassured her.

"I know," Olivia said nodding her head.

They ate lunch, then returned to the precinct to finish up their paperwork.

"Do you want to stay for dinner?" Elliot asked as they were driving to his house.

"I don't think so tonight, El. I want to get Calvin home and figure out what's going on with him, make sure he did his homework and stuff. Are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Yah, I'll come by after I drop the kids at school."

"Elliot," Olivia paused. Elliot looked over at her. "Thanks for understanding."

Elliot rubbed Olivia's arm as he pulled into his driveway.

"I hear you're keeping all your classmates entertained," Olivia said to Calvin once they arrived home.

Calvin smiled at her and shrugged his shoulders. "They like me Olivia, they think I'm funny."

"I'm glad you're fitting in Kiddo, but you can't disrupt class. You've gotta do your schoolwork or you're going to be a funny 40 year old stuck in the 9th grade. Ok?"

"Ok," Calvin mumbled. "Sometimes it's just too hard."

"Well that's what I'm here for. Two heads are better than one, we'll figure it out. Now let me see your planner please." Olivia patted Calvin on the shoulder as he moped over to his backpack and retrieved his planner.

Olivia checked the homework Calvin had done while he was at Elliot's house and helped him finish up the rest. She made him ravioli for dinner and then the two of them went on a walk.

* * *

Olivia heard her door buzzer right after she poured Calvin a bowl of cereal.

"Who is it?" she called into the intercom.

"It's me Liv," Elliot answered.

Olivia buzzed Elliot in and unlocked her front door for him.

"You're early," she said as he entered.

"Lizzie had a meeting before school so I dropped the kids off early. I figured maybe I'd swing by and give Calvin a ride to school. I haven't seen him all week." Elliot ruffled Calvin's hair.

"That's nice El," Olivia said. "I appreciate that." She took his jacket from him and hung it up then went into the kitchen to pour him a glass of orange juice.

"I hear you're a funny man at school," Elliot teased Calvin.

Olivia gasped and snapped Elliot with the kitchen towel. "I told you not to egg him on," she said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry," Elliot said smiling. He looked down at Calvin and saw him giggling. "You gotta pay attention and do your school work Buddy," he told him, trying to make up for his previous comment. He sat down at the table with Calvin and took a drink of the orange juice Olivia had given him.

"I know," Calvin said.

Elliot looked at Olivia and smiled. She shook her head at him but couldn't hold back a smile. Calvin finished his cereal and brushed his teeth.

"You be good today," Olivia told him as she handed him his jacket. "If I don't get any calls well go pick out a guitar for you this weekend, ok?"

"Ok, I will," Calvin promised. He gave Olivia a hug.

Olivia kissed the top of his head and told him she loved him as he walked out the door. She rolled up the kitchen towel she still had in her hand and snapped Elliot's butt as he followed Calvin out. "See you when you get back," she said smirking at him.

She grabbed Elliot's glass of orange juice to finish and sat down on the couch to wait for him to return.


	14. Chapter 14

Elliot and Olivia went for a walk in Central Park to talk about moving in together. Just as Elliot suspected Olivia was hesitant to agree. He was pleased that she was willing to talk to him about it though.

"I can't afford for anything bad to happen between you and I," Olivia told Elliot. "You and Calvin are pretty much all I've got in this world."

"I know," Elliot said softly. He let her continue.

"Every time I'm with a guy something bad happens. It never seems to work out for me El. Maybe I'm not supposed to be with anyone. Maybe I'm supposed to be alone."

"Liv, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to have someone who will love you and treasure you and take care of you. We've known each other for 12 years. I haven't bailed on you yet and I don't plan to. I know you better than anyone else and you know me. I'm not asking you to promise me a forever; I'm asking you to give us a chance."

Olivia was quiet for a moment. Elliot's little speech was wonderful but Olivia couldn't figure out how he was so sure of himself or of their relationship.

"What if we keep your apartment? Just like it is... and if things start to go bad, which they won't, you can move back in and we'll go back to the way things are now." Elliot took Olivia's hand and led her to a bench on the side of the path they were walking on. "I love you Liv. I always will, I don't know how to not love you. Please, take this chance with me."

Olivia squeezed Elliot's hand. She inhaled the fresh spring air until her lungs were full then slowly exhaled. "Ok," she said softly. "Let's give it a shot."

Elliot pulled Olivia into his arms and squeezed her tightly. He kissed her temple. Olivia turned towards him and pressed her lips against his.

"Let's go get you packed," Elliot said.

"Tomorrow," Olivia said. "Give me tonight to talk to Calvin and you talk to your kids, we'll move in tomorrow."

"Ok, tomorrow," he agreed. "I'll pick you up first thing in the morning."

Elliot and Olivia spent the morning and early afternoon together. Elliot dropped Olivia off at home in time for her to be there when Calvin got home from school and him to get home to greet his kids. Calvin was excited to move in with Elliot and his kids. Dickie was happy to hear Calvin would be moving in and the girls were excited about Olivia coming to live with them. Elliot and Dickie went to pick up Olivia and Calvin on Saturday morning. Elliot half expected Olivia to have changed her mind but was pleased to find her all packed when they arrived.

* * *

It didn't take long for everyone to adjust to living under one roof. Olivia was happy to have a bed to sleep in again and even happier to be sleeping next to Elliot. Her fears quickly disappeared as she transitioned quickly and easily to her new home. She was pleased to see Calvin doing so well and enjoying having others to hang out with and play with. She remembered just a few months ago when she was living alone, lonely, and unhappy with her home situation. She felt as if she had waken up in a dream, having Elliot and a house full of children to come home to each day.

Olivia filed papers to legally adopt Calvin. After a long, what seemed like forever, wait, her application was finalized and Calvin was legally hers. Calvin decided he wanted to change his last name to Benson, which brought tears to Olivia's eyes. Calvin's grades improved, but he still goofed off in class. Olivia got the occasional phone call when things got out of hand but for the most part Calvin didn't push the boundaries too far.

Dickie and Calvin started a band with a couple of their friends. Elliot wasn't thrilled about having them practice in his garage but he decided he would rather endure that than worry about all the trouble they could be getting into somewhere else.

Lizzie and Olivia became inseparable. Maureen and Kathleen's busy college and work schedule left Lizzie the only girl home with the boys a lot so she clung to Olivia. Olivia did special girly things with her and made sure to spend some time with only her so Lizzie knew how special she was.

Elliot signed Eli up for the summer T-Ball league. He helped out at Eli's practices as often as he could and he and Olivia did their best to attend all his games. Elliot and Olivia made sure to spend one on one time with each of the children doing special things that interested them. They all ended up being very together. You would never guess they were a blended family.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry guys, I think this is the end of this story. I tried to give it closure while at the same time leaving it open in case I decide to come back to it. Thank you all for reading and reviewing!_


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